Is this a flower? Stop this madness!!!

[SparKy697]

This thing ( the stalk in the middle of the plant) grew half the depth of the tank today alone. It is just peeking over the top of the water.

Is this a flower?

 

[David14259]

That's awesome! It has to be a flower. What plant is that?

 

[kaaikop]

Wow, that looks cool! Keep us posted!

 

[plecoperson]

Sweet lord! Watch your back! Is that thing coming out of my former overgrown freak plant?

 

[SparKy697]

Lol yes it is. I couldn't remember where I got that one. I had a little bout with bba and some of the older leaves were a bit beat up so I trimmed them off to get rid of the bba and dead material. The next thing I knew, this thing is coming at me!

 

[MyCatsDrool]

FEED ME SEYMORE

 

[dapellegrini]

Yes, that will open into a flower... Sometimes two. Looks like an Apon you have there. Once they start throwing flowers like that, you should see a constant stream of new flowers shooting for air. I have not been able to get the flowers to make seeds, but i hear if you rub it around between your fingers once it has opened, you might be able to pollinate it and get seeds, which will make lots and lots of baby plants...

Good luck!

 

[plecoperson]

Oh, I think it's an Aponogeton crispus, by the by.

RUN!!! 8O

 

[SparKy697]

OK, it's 2 hours after lights out and I went down there with a flashlight. The stem is now 2 inches out of the water and is starting to bend under the weight. If there is a flower in the morning, I'll submit a photo.

 

[rkilling1]

It's not going to be a flower with petals on it. It will be a white 'V' shaped stem. Some Aponogeton's go into a period of hibernation once they flower. I have read that you should place the plant in the frig for a few months inorder to get it to grow again.

 

[dapellegrini]

I have heard the same thing, but never experienced it... May only be some species?

Mine always flowered and grew until I had no more room for them...

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I heard damp sand in a cool dark place.. But I guess that sortof describes a fridge (except for the sand thing) and yes, it's only one species that I know of. Aponogeton boivinianus requires a dormancy period. most others just go dormant in the tank and start back up a few weeks later.

 

[SparKy697]

No flower this morning when I got up for work. And no flower this evening when I came home from work. That did not seem to discourage the silly thing from growing. It has now bent toward the back of the tank and actually hit the back glass.

Maybe the "flower"will open tomorrow.

 

[David14259]

How's the flower coming Sparky? I'm anxious to see what it turns out to be!

 

[SparKy697]

So far it's just an ever lengthening round stalk with a point at the end. No signs of opening into anything that can be called a flower just yet.

 

[SparKy697]

Sunday Morning-

It looks like it is at least starting to open.

I also see another stalk that is about an inch long heading up to the top of the tank... Two flowers?

Lisa, what have you done? I actually had a dream about this stupid thing. In it my whole room was a knot of stalks just like this. The plant had gone crazy and filled up the whole tank and spilled out into the room.

lol, sad I know.

 

[rich311k]

Congrats!!! You have a happy plant.

 

[newfound77951]

The plant had gone crazy and filled up the whole tank and spilled out into the room.

Yep.....that looks like an Aponogeton crispus, and it will indeed try and do that. I had one that started flowering and wouldn't stop. I think these plants flower when they are stressed sometimes and in my case it was because the plant did not have enough space. it really got huge, so i gave it to another AA member who has a 110 which should give it some room to breathe. I also remember reading somehwere that crispus, unlike a lot of other Aponogetons, don't have or need that dormant period, but I could be wrong.

 

[SparKy697]

That's funny, that is exactly how I got this plant.

It's been fun to watch it grow.

If the flower shoots numbers get out of hand, will it harm the plant to just cut them off at the base?

 

[newfound77951]

The flower shoots will disintegrate on their own, I don;t think i ever had more than 2 going at a time. It won't hurt the plant to cut them back, but it'll just make the plant make more!